


Sentimental Journey

by Shujinkakusama



Category: Steven Universe (Cartoon)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Historical, Alternate Universe - Old West, Cheating, F/F, Fade to Black, Fluff, Gen, Kissing, Multi, Polyamory, two twosomes that overlap
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-11-09
Updated: 2016-11-21
Packaged: 2018-08-30 01:52:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 18,590
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8514130
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Shujinkakusama/pseuds/Shujinkakusama
Summary: The year is 1859; Rose Quartz and the other Crystal Gems are tracking a Gem Beast through the California Gold Country and end up in a very distracting town. Rose gets distracted by a new squeeze, while Garnet and Pearl work together to find the monster, and Amethyst just wants to get some whiskey. // Rosepearlnet, Pearlnet main, polyamory done badly, fluff.





	1. 01. Call of the Stage

Marigold had hair true to her name and freckles all over her cheeks and shoulders; a thousand little kisses from the sun from her family’s trek out west. She wore neat boots on the stage, the same as the other saloon girls, but somehow, she had caught Rose Quartz’s eye. She wasn’t remarkable as far as young women went, in Pearl’s opinion; she didn’t hold a candle to the queens Rose had courted centuries ago, and she wasn’t particularly intelligent, except when it came to song lyrics. She was simple and helped her ailing mother’s bills by dancing and singing in the Columbia Saloon, turning down suitors as per the owner’s instructions. This wasn’t a cathouse.

 

Of course, that didn’t mean the girls didn’t flirt, a bit. It encouraged drinking and return visitors, and the town needed the business. Rose Quartz came back most nights, brought her companions to a secluded booth, and chatted Marigold up until Old John pulled the girl away to get ready for her show.

 

It was hard for men to begrudge Rose anything, and harder still for young girls who found the Crystal Gem’s perfect curls and neat bustle and pristine white dress enchanting to do anything but fall into her lap—and sure enough, Marigold’s resolute insistence that she be straight home after her shows didn’t last.

 

Pearl was furious.

 

Rose Quartz was famed for many things around the globe, and much to Pearl’s discontent—and to some extent, Garnet’s as well—faithfulness was not something she was known for.

 

They knew this. And moreover, each loved her for and despite it. What Rose had with humans was fleeting; what they shared spanned eons. Rose always came back to them.

 

Knowing that didn’t make Pearl any happier. In fact, she hadn’t stopped wearing a frown since they stepped into the saloon for the third time this week, despite Garnet’s hand spanning the small of her back. Rose had excitedly excused herself to help backstage, and informed the bartender that everything should go on her tab.

 

Amethyst took this as a sign that she should try—vainly—to order something other than sarsaparilla, but the barkeep wouldn’t budge.

 

“I’m not a kid, you know!” she complained, and Garnet shushed her.

 

“Far as they can tell, you are,” the darker Gem murmured around the mouth of a flask of hard whiskey that she truly didn’t need to nurse, save to keep it from Amethyst. The youngest Crystal Gem made a noise of annoyance that could have rivaled one of Pearl’s many fits, but settled for her usual drink.

 

At least sarsaparilla didn’t burn all the way down.

 

“Pearl, you’ve got an admirer,” Garnet murmured at length, leaning down to whisper in her partner’s ear. “And you’ve got about twenty-five seconds to pretend you’re in a good mood for Rose’s sake. We’ve still got plenty t’do in this town.”

 

“What?” Pearl looked up sharply, and her frown was even more pronounced, only to feel a tap at the edge of the booth behind her.

 

Every single one of these silly little gold rush towns had at least one well-dressed man of money. Usually the head of the bank, or the head of the stagecoach company—in Columbia, it was the former. He was dressed in fitted clothing that saw very little dust, despite the dry summer air and sandy roads. He smiled in the charming way men smiled at Rose, and Garnet’s hand pressed a little closer to Pearl’s spine. The pink-haired Gem straightened reflexively.

 

“Good evening… Mr. Goode?” Pearl said uncertainly, plastering on a smile that anyone who knew her could see clear through. Garnet returned her attention her whiskey.

 

“I had hoped to see you, ah, ladies,” Goode said, casting his uncertain gaze to Garnet, who ignored him utterly, and then to Amethyst, who saluted. Goode found the purple—child?—discomfiting, and focused instead on the lovely girl before him. “Miss Jules, I wondered if you would, ah, be interested in some star gazing later this evening? Word around town is that you’ve shown quite the interest in scholarly matters, and I’m well-versed in the skies ‘round these parts.”

 

“Er…” Pearl started, looking to Garnet for a way out. “I don’t believe that would be appropriate, Mr. Goode.”

 

“I mean nothing _in_ appropriate by it, my dear,” he assured her quickly, and it was too readily supplied, too swift for Garnet’s liking. The branches of possibilities that spread before her third eye led to paths that Pearl could surely handle, but that Garnet wouldn’t soon subject her to. It was bad enough that Goode had taken an interest in her at all. She set her glass down hard enough to be heard over the rabble of the saloon.

 

“I’m also interested in stargazing,” Garnet announced, turning a cool smile Goode’s way. Her thick glasses obscured her eyes, and she kept the third carefully shut. “But Amethyst has a curfew, and your stargazing would impede that.”

 

Amethyst grumbled something unintelligible into her drink.

 

“Oh! Yes! I’m sorry, Mr. Goode,” Pearl said, but she wasn’t sorry at all, and she didn’t fake it well. The smile she wore now was entirely one of relief. “After the show, once Rose comes back, we really will have to get back to our hotel. And it wouldn’t be at all proper if I slipped out. I just can’t set a bad example.”

 

It was a good excuse. Goode frowned all the same. “As you say, Miss Jules,” he said, straightening a bit. “I hope you’ll be in town long enough for us to spend some… quality time together, perhaps later? We have a parade coming up.”

 

“Of course!” Pearl’s smile was strained. Goode smiled behind his handlebar mustache. She folded her hands uncomfortably in her lap, shoulders set, trying to think of an appropriate response. Rejecting the wealthiest man in town would be disastrous for their stay, if past experience was any indication. “I’ve never been to a parade in a town like this.”

 

That had been the right answer.

 

Goode’s smile was back in full bloom, and he clasped her hand. “I will happily be your escort,” he said, tipping his hat to the others before walking away, looking quite pleased. Some of the other patrons stared. Pearl hid her face.

 

“I want out of this town, Garnet,” she mumbled. “I am _not_ indulging that man in any sort of… of parade!”

 

“Don’t worry. We’ll have moved on before that happens,” Garnet assured her, skirting the buttons up the back of her dress as she drew her hand up, giving Pearl’s shoulder a squeeze. “We just have to wait for the creature to attack.”

 

“Is it even still _in_ this town?” Amethyst piped up, “There hasn’t been a single sighting in weeks. Even the kids aren’t talkin’ about it.”

 

“It’s still here. We just have to draw it out somehow,” Garnet murmured, tapping her fingertips to her lips. “We don’t know what it wants, or why it’s on the move. Just that it’s attacking people.”

 

“But Garnet,” Pearl protested, reaching to thread her fingers with Garnet’s gloved hand. Switching gears quickly was a blessing, and she was all too happy to ignore the pianist’s rendition of _Sentimental Journey_ in favor of her best friend. “How do we draw it out to go after _us_? It’s done nothing but assault stagecoaches at night, and we don’t exactly have one of those to go gallivanting around on.”

 

“I could turn into one!”

 

“Amethyst, no.”

 

“You are not turning into some—some human vehicle,” Pearl insisted, pressing her lips into a distinct frown. “We could duplicate one with my replicator wand, but the humans would suspect—I suppose our best bet is to travel between here and Frogtown via stage until we’re attacked… If Rose is amenable to going anywhere.”

 

“You mean if she’ll leave that dancer alone?” Amethyst asked with a wicked grin, and the daggers Pearl stared at her didn’t bother her in the least. “I’m just translatin’!”

 

“You’re being obnoxious,” Pearl sighed, “But you’re not wrong. Garnet, what do we do about… _that_?”

 

Garnet shook her head. There had never been any stopping Rose from getting what she wanted—it wasn’t a fight worth having. “It won’t be long. Marigold can’t afford to get serious.” She paused to push her glasses up with a faint frown. “Rose knows we don’t have long to be out here, even if she isn’t showing it.”

 

“So another whirlwind romance,” Pearl sighed, and finally, she scooted closer to curl up next to the Fusion. Garnet looped her arm around Pearl’s narrow waist, pressing her cheek to the smaller Gem’s hair. The alabaster Gem settled in, closing her eyes against the growing rabble of the saloon’s other patrons.

 

“Oh _my_.”

 

Garnet’s tone wasn’t bland, exactly, but Pearl looked up quickly in time to see the showgirls making their grand entrance—five girls, plus one very ecstatic _Rose Quartz_ , who twirled and spun Marigold and her coworkers like it was nothing.

 

Amethyst cheered merrily; Garnet let out a low whistle as Rose joined in the cancan line, hoisting her skirts and kicking higher than the human girls could. Pearl reached angrily for Garnet’s flask of whiskey. Flavor be damned, she wanted to remember as little of tonight as possible, and Garnet was too startled by the surprise move to stop her.

 

She downed most of the flask in a single swig, ignoring the burn of alcohol down her throat. The result wasn’t instantaneous, but with nothing else in her stomach, and no tolerance to speak of, there was only one possible outcome to her action.

 

Pearl got her wish.


	2. 02. Hangover

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Pearl has a hangover, and plans are made for the day.

Come morning, Pearl found herself tucked into the otherwise unused hotel bed, under quilts they hadn’t touched in days. Amethyst liked to sleep on the desk, by the window, where she could watch people go by; Rose Quartz liked to sleep elsewhere, if she slept at all. Probably Marigold’s house, Pearl thought bitterly, and that thought sent a jolt of pain through her already aching skull, straight to her Gem. Why, oh _why_ had she been fool enough to drink?

 

Thinking about it didn’t help.

 

Actually, thinking made it almost impossibly worse.

 

With the resolution in mind to never, ever drink alcohol again, Pearl started to detangle herself from the quilt, in time for Garnet to appear at the door.

 

“You’re awake,” Garnet observed, and Pearl nodded guiltily, squinting at the brightness from the hallway. The lamps had mercifully been left _off_ , and the curtains drawn, but the hall was alight with oil lamps. They weren’t as bright as most Gem-powered screens, but they still hurt. “You’re _hungover_.”

 

“At least I won’t vomit,” Pearl muttered, wincing at the sound of Garnet shutting the door behind her.

 

To her surprise and relief, her best friend smoothed back her bangs, applying cool magic from the Gem in her right palm. Pearl sighed blissfully, closing her eyes against the constant throbbing in her temple.

 

“I’m not going to scold you for drinking,” Garnet said, and Pearl braced herself for whatever she _would_ get scolded for instead. The Fusion sighed. “The beast attacked a stagecoach last night. We narrowly missed it.”

 

Pearl didn’t curse often, but what she muttered was hardly appropriate for a lady of any standing, much less the class she tried to pass herself off as. Garnet grinned, but said nothing; Amethyst’s influence was stronger on some days than others. The Fusion sank down to sit on the bed at Pearl’s side, gathering her into a gentle hug.

 

“Amethyst is looking for it,” she assured her, “It left evidence, this time.”

 

It hurt to move her eyes, hurt to turn her head, but Pearl stared up at Garnet all the same, wide-eyed. “Were people hurt?”

 

Garnet considered dodging the question, but Pearl would find out from Amethyst sooner than later. “Amethyst is following a trail of blood, so yes.”

 

Pearl looked ready to cry, and Garnet shushed her, drawing her close. “It was before we left the saloon,” she assured her, “There wasn’t anything we could do. I didn’t see it coming.”

 

“They don’t normally _do_ this,” Pearl mumbled into Garnet’s dusty overcoat, clutching the lapels. “Garnet, if the Gem beasts keep attacking humans…”

 

“Ssh,” Garnet murmured, “We’ll catch it. I can feel it.”

 

All Pearl could feel was her skull throbbing like a beaten drum; beneath that a wash of guilt for distracting the others from the mission with her foolishness the night before. She knew better, she knew Rose’s tendencies, she _knew_ …

 

“Once I can stand the light, I’ll go with you,” Pearl offered grimly. “Were there survivors?”

 

“Rose is at the doctor’s finding out,” Garnet said, “She figured she would have the best luck getting answers. The driver died, but the coach passengers were unharmed. The armed guard is the one Rose is tryin’ to get answers from.”

 

The alabaster Gem nodded faintly. “I suppose we could speak to the passengers,” she said, and Garnet hummed thoughtfully.

 

“Amethyst’s department,” she said, “Unless your Spanish is better than it was six months ago.”

 

“I’d hope so, after some of the towns we’ve stayed in,” Pearl muttered. She was a fast learner, but distinguishing between what was appropriate for a woman to say in conversation versus what cowboys spoke of amongst one another was something else entirely. That so many of Earth’s languages could be _gendered_ in any way was still confusing thousands of years later. The similarities to Latin didn’t help.

 

Garnet hummed thoughtfully, gazing away into futures for the day, stroking Pearl’s soft hair without thinking about it. Pearl sank into her embrace with a contented sigh, and when Garnet did speak, her voice was soft.

 

“There isn’t any harm in trying,” she said finally, but rather than pull away, she leaned back against the headboard, tugging Pearl back with her. “We might as well rest until your headache clears, though.”

 

Pearl detested idleness, but Garnet’s deft fingers in her hair very quickly persuaded her. She closed her eyes against flashes of pain as her head continued to throb with her pulse, uttering a trembling sigh against Garnet’s collar. Unseen, Garnet’s cheeks darkened with a maroon blush, and the Fusion removed her glasses to put them on the bedside table. The clatter drew Pearl’s attention, and she peeked up to see her best friend smiling down at her, and Pearl pushed herself up to capture a quick kiss from Garnet’s full lips.

 

“Thank you,” she murmured, closing her eyes again. “You’re so good to me, Garnet.”

 

Garnet chuckled low in her throat and the rumble passed through Pearl’s slight frame like a ripple of water. She wrapped her arms around Pearl, easily enveloping small shoulders in a tender embrace, and Pearl cuddled closer. “I do my best,” Garnet said softly, “Just like you do for me. Like Rose does for both of us.”

 

Pearl made a faint noise of agreement, though Garnet suspected that bringing their lover up hadn’t been as reassuring as she meant it to be, and the Fusion continued to stroke her hair and temples until Pearl’s breathing settled into an easy rhythm, soft and slow.

 

\-------

 

When Pearl woke next, the effects of the alcohol had all but completely left her—that wasn’t to say that her head felt clear, or that the throbbing in her temple didn’t persist, but it wasn’t overwhelming, and she didn’t feel quite like her stomach wanted to expel everything she’d foolishly put into it. Garnet offered her water to dilute the alcohol all the same, and she drank it slowly.

 

Amethyst returned shortly thereafter, empty-handed, but with an idea of where to search next. She had lost the monster’s tracks in the foothills, where the blood ran dry, but there were caverns nearby, and a quarry worth investigating to the north. Pearl agreed that searching come nightfall was the best course of action, and Rose arrived with information that supported much of what Garnet was beginning to suspect. The monster had been able to conceal itself in foliage, ran on four legs like a wolf, and had red and green markings beneath a light coat of long fur—Bloodstone, a type of chalcedony, likely from the Beta Kindergarten.

 

“I suppose that explains it attacking people,” Pearl mumbled unhappily, and Rose nodded slowly in agreement. Corrupted quartz monsters were more dangerous than most of the Gem beasts they fought, and Bloodstone had been particularly dangerous during the war.

 

“Do you think you two can handle it together?” Rose asked, stroking Pearl’s arm gently, gathering her hand up to lace their fingers in what might have been an apology for her behavior the night before. “If we split up and search tonight, we may have some luck finding it before it strikes again, but…”

 

“We can handle it,” Garnet assured her, seeing a flicker of doubt in Pearl’s wide blue eyes. “If necessary, Sardonyx can take care of it.”

 

“What about me?” Amethyst asked, lips pursed in a frown. “I’m not sitting it out!”

 

“I thought we’d go together,” Rose said smoothly, and her smile melted Amethyst’s displeasure immediately. “We can check the caves while Garnet and Pearl check the quarry. If they need to Fuse, they’ll have plenty of room to do it.”

 

That certainly seemed to placate Amethyst, and Pearl was glad for that. Garnet pushed her fingers through Pearl’s hair, rising to her feet. “Come on. Let’s get changed. I’m not going on a mission in this jacket, and you’re not going without a wider skirt to move in.”

 

Pearl flushed at that; it was entirely thanks to Rose’s insistence that they were wearing manmade clothing at all. Rose liked to collect things for her lovers to wear, and after millennia, they had given up arguing. Across the country, in the Temple they often returned to, the collection of clothing and trinkets could have filled several museums. Pearl’s tangible outfits throughout the ages leaned toward a more feminine flair—something entirely to do with Rose’s interests, as Pearl preferred the functionality of pants to skirts. Garnet was trickier to dress, but often posed as the ‘man’ of the group, much to Amethyst’s amusement. Amethyst herself often wore men’s clothing; it was easier to move in, and given her diminutive stature, she found it easier to get away with posing as a child if she _didn’t_ wear corsets and petticoats.

 

Which meant Pearl dressed the part of Rose’s doting, younger sister—much to her chagrin—and Rose loved every second of it. Corsets and garters were all the rage in this era, and Pearl looked as lovely in them as she did out of them. The pink-haired Gem watched with unconcealed amusement as Garnet helped Pearl into a corset that did little to her slim figure, with bright teal laces on cream fabric with ivory boning. Pearl squeaked a little as Garnet tightened the base, running her fingers along Pearl’s back as she plucked at the laces.

 

“I feel—oh!—sorry for humans,” Pearl squeaked, “These things have to be torturous…”

 

“Imagine if you had to dance in one,” Garnet purred into her ear, and Pearl flushed a little, looking away.

 

“I _could_ ,” Pearl said somewhat defensively, “But don’t think for a moment that I would enjoy it.”

 

Rose giggled, dipping in to press a kiss to Pearl’s cheek that made color bloom across her face. “I think the rest of us would,” she teased, “You would look absolutely lovely in one of Marigold’s dresses! The cancan skirts are marvelous, and she has one in your colors—I thought of you immediately when I saw it in the wardrobe backstage!”

 

Rose Quartz missed the faraway look in Pearl’s eyes as she blathered on about her newest squeeze’s fashion choices, and Garnet helped her button up the front of her off-white blouse without a word, taking over when Pearl’s fingers faltered at the wrong button loop.

 

Amethyst watched with some bemusement, but truly wasn’t very interested in Rose’s diatribe either. All these human lovers blurred together, and none of them lasted very long. She’d never understand their leader’s fascination with them, or the others’ interest in romance on the whole—but from the look on Pearl’s face, she was probably happier staying far away from that kind of thing.


	3. 03. Mining for Information

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Garnet and Pearl have some more questions that need answering.

Once dressed and ready for the world, Garnet and Pearl took their leave, arm-in-arm down Main Street. It was getting on late in the afternoon, but there was plenty of daylight left before they could sneak off into the hills unnoticed. They passed the saloon and turned down the street, toward the beginnings of a cobbled road and newly built brick buildings—a candy shop, the bank, and post office were already open for business—and Garnet steered Pearl toward the doctor’s office.

 

“Rose spoke to Mr. Flannery already, but I’ve a feeling he’s got a little more information we can use,” Garnet said, “Such as where the survivors were staying.”

 

“I suppose that kind of information _would_ escape Rose’s usual line of questioning,” Pearl murmured softly. Rose very easily caught herself up in _people_ , and it was as much a boon as it was a curse. She had learned everything about Mr. Flannery’s accident, about his family, about his livelihood—of course, she’d also gotten a description of the beast, and that was critical. Knowing they were up against a Bloodstone helped immensely.

 

Pearl clutched at Garnet’s arm, and Garnet straightened her back as the couple stepped into the doctor’s office. Mr. Flannery was thoroughly sloshed, but the doctor was able to provide some of the answers they were seeking. Pearl put on her best impression of being small and vulnerable, while Garnet inquired about the nature of the accident, the safety of the trail and whether it would be advisable to travel to Frogtown in a few days’ time.

 

The doctor was amicable enough. He professed a lack of belief in monsters, but could offer no explanation for the raking claw marks Mr. Flannery had across his back—the primary reason that he’d been given enough alcohol to kill a lesser man, especially after being visited by a very sympathetic Rose Quartz. Opium was in short supply out here, the doc explained, and Pearl expressed condolences despite knowing the danger of opiates. Alcohol poisoning was probably safer.

 

“I don’t suppose the passengers are still staying in town?” Garnet asked carefully, making a show of gathering up Pearl’s hand in hers. “Miss Jules here wanted to see about their wellbeing—she couldn’t sleep a wink last night after we heard.”

 

“They’re spooked, sure enough,” the doctor said, “But so far as I can tell, they’ve got family to stay with. Don’t speak much English, though I’m sure they’d be happy for the well wishin’. They’re panners from Sonora.”

 

“I’ve got family there,” Pearl lied through her teeth; “Oh, I hope they’re alright!”

 

“If you could give us an idea where to find them, it’d be most appreciated, doc,” Garnet said smoothly, and the man happily supplied the names and plot the miners could be found on. Garnet tipped her hat politely as she steered Pearl out.

 

“There’s not much they’ll be able to tell us,” Garnet said, looking ahead as she and Pearl walked back toward Main Street. “But it’d give us an excuse to be away from the saloon tonight.”

 

“Anything to be away from Mr. Goode and that Marigold girl,” Pearl mumbled sourly, earning a laugh from her longtime lover. Garnet squeezed Pearl’s narrow shoulder, flashed a heart-melting smile, and if night had fallen and the streets been bare, Pearl would have kissed her. Garnet’s presence was nothing less than a balm on her soul, and Pearl was certain that she could never express it adequately.

 

“She isn’t awful,” Garnet said soothingly, “I understand why you’re upset, but it isn’t the girl’s fault. It’s easy to be swept up by Rose.”

 

Truer words were never spoken, Pearl thought with a sigh. She was doubly thankful for Garnet being swept along with her for the ride, though, and knew she hadn’t expressed that enough, either.

 

“Thank you, Garnet,” Pearl said, tipping her head to rest the crown against her best friend’s shoulder, leaning into her as they walked. “You know I love you, right?”

 

“Never doubted it. But it’s nice to hear, now and again,” Garnet said softly, “I do sometimes worry, with how Rose is, that you’ll close off again. But I don’t see it happening anytime soon.”

 

Many years ago, Pearl had all but completely shut down after one of Rose’s dalliances stole her lover away overseas; Garnet hadn’t been able to pull her out of her depression, and Rose had returned ten years later, with stories to tell and gifts from the Faeroes and Orkney Islands. It had been one of the biggest points of contention in their long relationship, and Rose had assured her partners that she wouldn’t go gallivanting off without a word again.

 

So far, she’d more or less kept her promise; she was at least mindful enough to be accessible by warp pad if something happened, most of the time. Sometimes it wasn’t possible, but other times…

 

Other times Rose would disappear for weeks at a time, and Pearl felt the heart she didn’t need breaking all over again. She didn’t want to imagine where she would be without Garnet’s steady hand. Pearl’s fingers curled more tightly around Garnet’s arm, and she closed her eyes.

 

“I never want to do that to you again,” Pearl murmured, “You or Amethyst. You don’t deserve it, and you’re so important to me… By now, I shouldn’t doubt she’ll come back.”

 

But she did. Inadequacy brewed in her every time Rose discovered a new human to sport with. It steeped like tea gone bad, stained her, and Pearl feared that one day the ugliness would spill out of her and ruin everything.

 

Garnet had never been anything but steadfast, a sharp contrast to Rose’s lackadaisical approach to their relationship. Pearl wondered sometimes about what Garnet and Rose shared, because she knew it was fundamentally different, but she couldn’t place her finger on it.

 

“You’re dwelling again,” Garnet pointed out. Pearl was quick to apologize, cheeks flushed a lovely turquoise, and Garnet stepped down from the edge of the wooden sideway, guiding Pearl along after her. The drop was steep, and Pearl had to gather up her skirts to step down with any grace at all. Garnet’s gaze traveled briefly to her pink boots, then back up to her face. She squeezed her hand. “Ponder this instead; we’re about to go crash a miner’s plot to talk to a pair of humans who barely speak English, and we’ve nothing to give them, unless we want to go take money from Rose. How do you suppose we get the answers we need?”

 

The distraction was a welcome one, and Pearl smiled up at her. “Right. Well, I don’t suppose _your_ Spanish is any better than mine? I always mix Latin in.”

 

“No, _señorita_ ,” Garnet laughed, “I barely followed along when Amethyst was trying to teach you. I’ll stick to English.”

 

“Wonderful…”

 

* * *

 

As luck would have it, they were able to get through the night without needing much more than cursory Spanish. Pearl expressed halting condolences in a language she barely understood, and Garnet was pleased to discover that their neighbor was bilingual and could act as an intermediary. Still, the miners were relieved by their visitor’s effort—and that made them much more willing to discuss what had happened.

 

The attack had been preceded by a rumbling not unlike the dynamite blasts that echoed from the quarry; at first, the two men had expected nothing to come of it. But the situation quickly turned urgent as something bigger than a horse barreled out of nowhere, roaring like something out of a nightmare. Pearl and Garnet listened to the tale with interest, and were careful not to interject with anything contradictory. Puzzling the pieces together could come later.

 

They were invited to stay for dinner, but naturally declined. The neighbor offered to walk them back to the hotel, as night had already fallen, and although they both realized it was a courtesy, Garnet was quick to assure him that there was no need.

 

“Save your lantern oil, friend,” she said, “You’ve done plenty for us.”

 

“But Miss Jules’ safety—“

 

“It’s a short walk,” Garnet insisted, pushing up her spectacles on her nose. “And I’ll see to her safety. Thank you for your help.”

 

“Yes! Thank you all,” Pearl said quickly, hooking her arm in Garnet’s. “And good luck when you return to mining.”

 

“There’s some good sediment in these parts,” Garnet added, nodding vaguely toward the creek bed. “Good for panning. If you go a little bit north, I’m certain you’ll strike gold.”

 

With that, Garnet once again tipped her hat, and the two Crystal Gems were gone.

 

 


	4. 04. A Fracas

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There's trouble at the saloon, just in time for Pearl and Garnet to catch wind of Goode's nefarious scheming. What sort of melodrama is this?

“So far as I can see, we’ll have better luck looking at night,” Garnet said with a sigh, removing her tinted glasses to see better by moonlight. Her third eye was gently closed, and though it was disorienting, it was better than letting humans see it. Witch-hunts hadn’t been more than two centuries behind them in this country, and Garnet didn’t have any interest in being run out of town when they were so close to solving this case. “But we should stop by the saloon to tell Amethyst and Rose what we’ve found out. The beast won’t attack again tonight.”

 

“Are you sure, Garnet?” Pearl asked worriedly, lips pursed in a faint frown. “I don’t mind going to the quarry with you—“

 

“I think Rose will mind if we go off without telling her,” Garnet said gently, glancing around before pressing a kiss to Pearl’s temple. “Besides, you’re not dressed for it. And I suspect we’ll need all the mobility we can get for this fight.”

 

“Fantastic,” Pearl mumbled, absently tracing a hand down the boning of her corset beneath her dress. “I’ll phase something suitable in the hotel, then, I suppose. It _would_ be a shame if this dress were damaged, considering how much work must’ve been put into it.”

 

Garnet chuckled at that, daringly running gloved fingers through the base of Pearl’s short hair. “It does look lovely on you. Truly,” she said, “I know you would prefer trousers. But you look wonderful in women’s clothes.”

 

“You and Rose seem to like it,” Pearl said in a sigh, “If they weren’t so restrictive… I don’t dislike how they look. It’s the layers.”

 

“I imagine the humans would agree with you,” Garnet laughed, gathering her close for a moment before sweeping her in through the swinging saloon doors.

 

Neither expected to be passed by Mr. Goode, who looked equal parts furious and red-faced—and despite the low light, Pearl could see the outline of a woman’s handprint where his cheek and jaw were clean shaven. The banker bumped Garnet’s shoulder on his way out without any acknowledgment, green eyes fiery.

 

“Mr. Goode?” Pearl squeaked, but she wasn’t about to follow the man. “Garnet, are you—“

 

“Barely touched me,” Garnet assured her, glancing toward their usual table. Something tickled the back of her mind, and she chanced a glance into the future for only a moment, then nodded toward the booth. “We’ve got trouble,” she said, and Pearl hurried to match her stride on the way through the half-crowded restaurant.

 

Marigold was in tears, clinging to Rose Quartz and bawling into her curls. Outwardly, Rose looked like she knew what she was doing; her arms were around the slip of a girl, rubbing soothing circles into her back, but her dark eyes were panicked more than anything.

 

“Garnet! Pearl!” Amethyst exclaimed, skirting the table to meet the other Crystal Gems midway. “Did that guy say anything on the way out?”

 

“Not a thing,” Pearl said, raising an eyebrow. “Why is… Marigold? Not on stage?”

 

Amethyst dropped her voice to a conspirator’s whisper. “That Mr. Goode really shook her up,” she said, “Apparently he wants her mother’s land—but where are they gonna go? Her mum’s sick. Real sick. Marigold’s not making enough money to keep up the property, and Mr. Goode, he says… well, you know, Marigold better come into some money before winter, or else.”

 

“It’s nearly fall!” Pearl interjected, “And let me guess—this is now our problem?”

 

Amethyst shrugged helplessly. “You know Rose, she’s not going to leave a pretty girl in need… He wants the deed her mom's sittin' on to mine it out.”

 

Pearl sighed, looking up at Garnet. “Of course not.”

 

Garnet looked furious, likely because she was looking ahead into potential futures. Her third eye was half open; Pearl reached for her hand, felt Ruby’s Gem burning beneath her leather glove, and heaved a sigh. “We’ll figure something out,” she said, more for Garnet’s benefit than Amethyst’s. But she turned to the purple Gem and managed a tired smile. “In better news, we’ve got some good information toward pursuing the beast. We can handle that, and this, and then move on to the next town.”

 

“It uh… might not be a short fix, P,” Amethyst admitted, rubbing the back of her neck. “Marigold’s mom owes a lot for medicine, and he’s piling on interest. We don’t have that kind of money on hand, or Rose woulda taken care of this already. Dunno if we've got enough for the land alone.”

 

“Of course she would,” Pearl murmured. Surprise overtook her expression as Garnet withdrew her hand, and the Fusion slipped away, moving toward the booth.

 

Marigold’s tears had wound down, at least, and Garnet sat down next to her without a word. She produced a handkerchief, and the young woman dried her eyes, apologizing for the scene. Rose insisted that it was fine and Garnet agreed.

 

“Miss Marigold, I’m sure Rose has already said it,” Garnet said, “But we’ll be sure to help any way we can. Amethyst gave me the gist of it.” Her voice dropped, “Whatever you do, don’t accept any of Mr. Goode’s compromises. He’s a right crook. And you deserve better ‘n he can give.”

 

The girl sniffed piteously, earning a kiss to the crown of her head from Rose Quartz, much to Pearl’s endless frustration. Still, she did pity her somewhat. Mr. Goode was crooked in more places than a tree branch, and it was entirely unsurprising that he would prey on girls that worked for a living in his own town.

 

Pearl wasn’t very good at comforting humans. But she could lean over the back of the booth and give Marigold’s bare shoulder a ginger squeeze. “Were you the one who slapped him?” she asked, and the panicked look on the girl’s face was as much confirmation as she could expect. Pearl leaned in, giving her shoulder a reassuring pat instead. “Good. I’d have done it for you if I were here.”

 

Relief flooded Marigold’s soft face, eyes puffy from crying and cheeks blotchy, but her smile was almost lovely. She briefly reminded Pearl of a Citrine from the war, liberated from the Beta Kindergarten, and that hurt her heart. “Miss Jules…”

 

“Oh, Pearl, that’s so sweet of you!” Rose exclaimed, missing the uneasiness in Pearl’s face in the low light. The pink-haired woman hugged Marigold around the waist, utterly enveloping her in her arms. “See? We’ll look after you.”

 

“We will. But Rose,” Garnet said, switching gears smoothly, “We have some unfinished business that needs sorting first, I’d think.”

 

Trust Rose Quartz to get caught up in silly human problems and forget the entire reason they were in this town at all, Pearl thought, although the look of confusion on Rose’s sweet face was unmatched in its beauty. Her brows furrowed, and she shared a lost look with her human lover, before turning to Garnet.

 

“The stage coach accident,” Garnet reminded her gently, ever patient despite her leader’s forgetfulness.

 

“Oh!”

 

Amethyst didn’t bother hiding a snicker behind her hand, even if Pearl sighed faintly and shook her head at the absurdity of it all.

 

Rose looked briefly contrite, but smiled down at the confused girl in her arms. “Well, we’ll deal with that, too,” she said soothingly, deliberately vague. “You’ve got nothing to worry about, my flower.”

 

Marigold nodded minutely, missing the looks that passed between Garnet, Amethyst, and Pearl, whose cheeks were visibly tinged blue. Garnet extended a gloved hand for Pearl, and after a moment her lover did—hesitantly—take it.

 

“We were going to head back to the inn,” Garnet announced, meeting Rose’s eyes deliberately over the gold wire rims of her glasses. The Fusion tapped her middle and index fingers against the table. “Pearl and I had dinner with the passengers from the stagecoach, and we just wanted to assure you they’re doing fine. They’ll be back to mining tomorrow.”

 

“Oh! That’s a relief,” Rose said, nodding in affirmation that she understood. Garnet and Pearl would proceed with their portion of the mission later tonight. Their leader glanced to Amethyst, smiling warmly. “Do you want to join them, Amethyst? I’ll escort Marigold home tonight. We’ll be up early tomorrow, and you look tired now.”

 

“I’m not tired—“

 

“You absolutely look tired,” Garnet said pointedly, and Amethyst quirked a brow, but nodded slowly. “We’ll get you to bed so you can see the caves bright and early.”

 

Pearl looked uncomfortably from Rose to Garnet, then back again, worrying the inside of her cheek. “Be careful, Rose?” she asked hopefully, and the squeeze she gave Garnet’s fingers was almost painful. “You know none of us wants you out alone at night…”

 

“Ah,” Marigold started, flushing to her ears as all eyes turned on her. “If… if it isn’t too bold, Miss Rose, you could stay overnight with me. We’ve an extra room.”

 

Rose’s eyes lit up at the suggestion, and Pearl felt her heart sink, knowing full well that the extra room would likely go unused that night. Garnet squeezed her hand softly, said their goodbyes for the three of them, and ushered Amethyst along ahead as she and Pearl made their way back to the hotel for the night.

 


	5. 05. At the Quarry

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Amethyst suggests canoodling. Pearl and Garnet have work to do.

The very first thing Pearl did when they returned to their room was fumble her way out of her corset. The ties in the back were expertly knotted, perfect bows that had lasted the day underneath her long dress, and Garnet ultimately had to take her hands and press them into her lap to do it for her. Amethyst made a show of lounging around on her and Rose’s bed—her bed, tonight—but couldn’t help glancing over every now and then to see that same faraway look from earlier in Pearl’s pale blue eyes.

 

“D’you guys want me to stay here tonight?” Amethyst asked abruptly, and Pearl glanced over as Garnet pulled the corset away. “I mean, you’re going after the monster, but did you wanna go alone? Have some... you time?”

 

“Amethyst!”

 

Garnet couldn’t help snickering at the blue that dusted Pearl’s nose. “It’s up to you, Amethyst,” she said easily enough, setting her lover’s corset aside diligently. She made no secret of watching as Pearl slipped out of her bloomers, thoroughly enjoying her silhouette as the layers fell away. Pearl seemed oblivious, struggling a bit with the ties on her boots.

 

Amethyst wasn’t nearly so clueless as Pearl, though; she could see Garnet’s longing plain as day, and truth be told, she couldn’t blame her. Garnet made a good show of having her feelings under wraps most of the time, but Amethyst knew the Fusion too well to believe for a second that she was content posing as Pearl’s chaperone in yet another town full of prying eyes and lecherous humans, especially while Rose Quartz was off sporting.

 

“I’ll pass. You two obviously need some time together before G loses her cool,” Amethyst said, grinning crookedly. “I’ll hold down the fort while you go canoodle in the quarry or whatever. You haven’t been subtle all week.”

 

“What?” Pearl squeaked, turning to see Garnet, whose trio of eyes were all trained well below her bare shoulders. Pearl flushed clear down her sternum, instinctively covering her meager breasts. “Garnet!”

 

“Can’t apologize if I’m not sorry,” Garnet said half-teasingly, leaning in for a quick kiss; her lover spluttered indignantly when she pulled away, and Garnet removed her glasses for a better look. Half dressed and thoroughly embarrassed, Pearl didn’t look nearly as formidable as they both knew she _could_ be, but she was certainly a sight to behold. She was slender and wiry, with very little visible muscle, but Gems hardly needed that. Pearl’s form was made up of soft, sloping lines, and after millennia Garnet knew every subtle curve by heart—but that didn’t mean she couldn’t enjoy reacquainting herself from time to time.

 

“I’m still here!” Amethyst reminded them, and Pearl hurried to finish getting out of her clothing before shape shifting an approximation of the same layered dress she’d worn earlier. The illusion was perfect, from the lacy pink shawl down to heeled blue boots with canary yellow laces.

 

There would be time for… matters… later.

 

Pearl was careful to keep her hands and eyes to herself as she put up both her and Garnet’s clothing in the big wooden wardrobe they all shared. A flash of light signaled that the bigger Gem had dressed again, and Pearl turned to assess her lover. She envied, not for the first time, that Garnet could get away with parading around the west in dunagree trousers and chaps—even if these were an illusion, they were infinitely more practical than her gathered skirts and mock-corset.

 

That the leather chaps did not conceal her bottom was a bonus. Pearl sighed faintly. Amethyst wasn’t wrong; it _had_ been too long, and being distracted was a dangerous thing.

 

Somehow, Pearl didn’t think they would be getting much monster hunting done that night. “We have work to do,” Pearl said aloud, as much for her own benefit as for the others’, and Amethyst rolled her eyes.

 

“Work or play, just lemme know if you need me when you get back,” the purple Gem said, flopping backwards to spread out across the too-big bedspread. “I’ll sleep until somebody gets me.”

 

“We’ll contact you as soon as we can,” Garnet said, gathering Pearl’s arm in hers without a thought. Pearl easily fit against her side, pressed against her bodily, and she bid Amethyst goodbye before they slipped off into the night.

 

Moonlight greeted the pair, unobscured by the summer night’s meager cloud cover. Nearly deserted streets stretched before them, faintly tinted blue from a mostly-full moon. The saloon still had its lamp lit outside, a distant beacon that neither of them found welcoming. With the sun long set, the night air was cool against Pearl’s skin, and she made a show of snuggling closer to her lover as they walked.

 

“Thought you wanted to focus on the mission,” Garnet said in a low voice, smiling faintly. Pearl almost scoffed.

 

“I do,” she assured her with a sigh, “We’ve got to get this done. We’ve wasted enough time. And yet…”

 

Pearl trailed off wistfully, and Garnet turned to press a soft kiss into her downy hair. “Amethyst’s right,” the Fusion murmured, “We haven’t had any ‘us’ time lately.”

 

The smaller Gem turned to look up at her lover, and the tiredness in her wide blue eyes spoke volumes. Pearl stopped in the street, and Garnet paused at her side, arms still entwined. With her free hand, Pearl reached up for Garnet’s face, brushing her thumb along her cheekbone, below her scarlet eye. “I want to. Garnet, you know I do,” she said, “I don’t know… I’m so _frustrated._ By this mission, by Rose’s… dalliances, even if it’s her right. I wish we had _time_ for that. All of us.” She paused for a moment, drawing soft fingers down to the curve of Garnet’s jaw. “Or just us. You’re so good to me, and I never show you how much I appreciate it, but I truly do.”

 

Garnet suspected some of that was self-depreciation talking, and she would have happily explained away Pearl’s fears if she weren’t distracted by Pearl’s fingers trailing along her cheek and jaw. She hummed appreciatively. “You’re doing a good job,” she admitted, cocking a lopsided smile at the faint flush that rose in Pearl’s cheeks. “I know how Rose’s sporting gets to you, Pearl. I don’t feel slighted,” she added.

 

“I still have you. I shouldn’t be upset at all,” Pearl murmured, “That girl won’t come with us. Rose knows as well as either of us that she’s not going to last. She’ll stay here with her mother, like she should, and we’ll be gone—“

 

“Once we ensure her land is safe, yes,” Garnet said, “We make sure of that and she’ll stay here, and we’ll move on. Rose will move on.” Another pause, and Garnet leaned down to whisper in Pearl’s ear; “And I’ll be with you, regardless of what happens. Never doubt that.”

 

It wasn’t the night’s chill that made Pearl shiver, but she used the excuse to draw closer to Garnet, to angle her face upward for the briefest of kisses as Garnet withdrew. It was chaste but sent a ripple of electricity through the both of them, to their respective Gems, and Pearl swore she saw stars for the hundred-thousandth time.

 

“I know,” Pearl managed, “I’ll be here, too. With you, always.”

 

Garnet smiled, all three eyes crinkling at the corners, before she nodded toward the northern path out of town. “We’d best check on the quarry,” she said, shifting Pearl’s hand from her bicep and lacing their fingers together. “Once we’re in the foothills, let’s run.”

 

Sapphire’s cool magic hummed merrily between their warm hands, and Pearl didn’t have time to question Garnet’s suggestion; she instead hurried along after her partner until they were far enough out of town to break into a run, safe from the possibility of prying eyes and human expectations.

 

The quarry wasn’t a far run, and they kept perfect time together after long eons of practice; Garnet measured her steps against Pearl’s, let the smaller Gem lead as far as her dress would allow, and Pearl hiked her skirt up so far that Garnet caught a salacious glimpse of bare leg over her ankle boots. The Fusion laughed at the sight of Pearl’s soft pink hair, unkempt and much messier than she would have allowed others to see, and Pearl reveled in the fact that Garnet’s three beautiful eyes were trained on her alone.

 

They must have looked like witches, scampering through dried brush without following a trail, and perhaps there were stories about conjurers that had started with the Crystal Gems. Garnet especially drew questions in her early days, brightly colored and impossibly tall, but that was long ago, and her dark hair only barely shone blue and red in the moonlight. Pearl caught herself wondering how she could be so lucky, how Garnet could fill her with such endless joy when they were together, but found that the answers didn’t matter.

 

They soon reached their destination and came to a stop at its edge. Giggles wound down to a comfortable silence, and Pearl’s chest rose and fell like she needed the air for more than habitual breathing. Garnet drew her fingers—chilled by the night air—up for a kiss across the knuckles, and Pearl smiled brighter than the North Star on a moonless night in December.

 

For long moments they only stared at each other, smiling and drinking in the other Gem’s countenance.

 

“Right!” Pearl coughed, embarrassed but altogether pleased by their jaunt through the hills. Letting loose for a little while was _exactly_ what she’d needed after weeks stuffed into corsets and playing the part of a sweet human girl. Garnet grinned, tucking her hair back into its usual shape for her, stray wisps loose from the wind. “The mission.”

 

“And here I thought you would forget if I distracted you,” Garnet teased, sweeping her up bridal style. Pearl let out an undignified squeal, throwing her arms around the Fusion’s shoulders for support she didn’t truly need. It would be a snowy day in the Sahara before Garnet ever dropped her.

 

“Garnet!” Pearl giggled helplessly, curling close to her lover as she was spun. “What about the monster?”

 

Garnet paused, glanced down over her left shoulder at the deserted quarry, and glanced again with her third eye alone. She hummed, gathering Pearl closer.

 

“It’s not here,” she concluded, grinning broadly and gingerly setting Pearl’s feet back on the ground before releasing her. Pearl’s arms withdrew from her shoulders with visible reluctance, and Garnet made no secret of running her hands along Pearl’s sides before setting them on her hips, turning back to the excavation site. “It must be in the cave system up north.”

 

“You’re not serious,” Pearl said, peering over the cliff face into inky darkness. “Wouldn’t this be a better place for it to hide? The caves don’t extend that far…”

 

“You’d think that,” Garnet agreed, pursing her lips thoughtfully. The odds had been in their favor that it would show up here if it were uninjured—which must have meant it was laying low in the caverns nearby. She hummed, absently nudging a loose stone with her foot so that it tumbled down and _down_ into the quarry before them. “So it must be in the Moaning Cavern.”

 

Pearl’s eyes went wide, and she gripped Garnet’s arm tightly in hand. The Moaning Cavern wasn’t far off, but it was well known among the local humans, and there had always been controversy surrounding it. Eons ago, they had almost made a base there, only to find human remains at the bottom of the main chamber.

 

Of course, Amethyst had made that discovery, much the same way men, women, and children had; by falling hundreds of feet and cracking her Gem on the way down. Since then, there were rumors that natives had pushed travelers to their deaths, of disappearances in the area that weren’t accounted for, that bandits disposed of bodies in this and many other caves in the area. Pearl didn’t like to think about it.

 

“I don’t want Amethyst falling down there again,” she said, brows creased with worry. “Garnet, if she hadn’t landed in mud, her Gem might have…”

 

“I know,” Garnet said grimly, dragging a hand through her tightly curled hair. Her fingers caught, and she shook the tangle loose. “Rose could take care of it, but—“

 

“The bodies, Garnet, she’ll be heartbroken if she sees any,” Pearl insisted, “There were so many last time. Children, too. We can’t take Rose there again.”

 

“Neither of us can fly,” Garnet pointed out, giving Pearl’s hand a reassuring squeeze. “But… I know someone who can, when she wants to.”

 

For a brief moment, Pearl looked utterly bamboozled. There were only the four of them to consider—and neither Garnet nor Pearl could _fly_ so much as they could both jump quite high. Jumping and falling were two different things. There had been other Crystal Gems who could fly, eons ago, but no longer. Rose Quartz came closest with her ability to levitate and to control her descent when she was airborne, but she was out of the question. “Who…?”

 

“Sardonyx,” Garnet suggested hopefully, and to her immense relief, Pearl’s eyes positively lit up with excitement. They didn’t Fuse often; there was no need, and in populated areas it was an invitation for trouble. Rainbow Quartz could pass for an exceptionally tall woman at great distance, _maybe_ , but Sardonyx towered over treetops and buildings.

 

She would have no trouble fitting in a cavern, away from prying eyes, though.

 

“If you’re sure,” Pearl said, and her excitement gave her away. Garnet laughed, leaning in for a quick kiss, and this time, Pearl pulled her face in to deepen it, unwilling to let Garnet get away with just a peck this time. Not that her lover minded; strong hands found purchase across Pearl’s shoulder and lower back, and it wasn’t long at all before they were lost in each other’s embrace with only the moon and stars to witness their activities.


	6. 06. Expense

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Amethyst gets her wish, and Pearl and Garnet hash out a plan for the day.

Like it or not, they did have to report back before the sun could creep up over the horizon. Pearl in particular couldn’t afford to be seen sneaking around at odd hours, even with her ‘chaperone’—half the town coveted her in the same way that they prized gold, and Pearl knew what part she needed to play to keep things going smoothly while they were here.

 

That did not, however, mean that she could creep back into town without covering her neck completely, adjusting the light manifestation that made up her clothing to conceal several love bites that would last days at least. Garnet had made no attempts to be discreet about how much she wanted her lover’s attention the night before, and in turn, Pearl hadn’t been at all quiet about enjoying herself. Garnet was privately pleased with the marks, some of which were a brilliant _indigo_ at their core, even if they would likely be gone by the next time she could look at her long, beautiful throat.

 

She wondered if they would still be there after they formed Sardonyx.

 

If not, she could always make more.

 

As luck would have it, Rose met them on Main Street, eager as ever to see her partners and just as shameless; she pressed quick kisses to the corners of their mouths despite the fact that the streets weren’t quite deserted. But then, who was going to argue with an eight-foot tall giant woman? Certainly not any of the lovesick fools in this town.

 

“Did you two have any luck?” Rose asked excitedly, clasping their hands and firmly sandwiching herself between them as they walked. Falling into step together was easy enough, and Pearl leaned against Rose’s bare arm, enjoying her warmth. Quartzes—and most other Gems, really—always seemed to be warmer than she could be on her own, and Pearl wondered very distantly whether it was one of her many flaws, or if her sisters back in the Home Galaxy experienced the same chill in their fingertips and toes.

 

“None,” Garnet admitted, carefully keeping her third eye closed as people began opening their shops for the day. “We’re going to try somewhere else later today, but we thought to check in on you and Amethyst first.”

 

Rose’s face fell, and Pearl clung to her arm. “Oh… Do you need help, then?” she asked, “Amethyst and I could come along—“

 

“I think we can handle it,” Garnet assured her quickly, mustering a smile in Pearl’s place. “If my future vision is wrong again, we’ll have to move on to the next town. The next cave system is pretty far. But the spot we’ll be looking at is only a few hours away, and I’ve got a strong feeling about it. If we need extra firepower, we’ve got Sardonyx.”

 

This seemed to lift Rose’s spirits, at the very least, and she turned her attention to Pearl, flashing the brilliant smile that always made her heart soar. “Do you two need to rest before you go? I know I’ve been with Marigold for the past few days, but we could get some time together before you go… I think I wore her out last night. We were up awfully late.”

 

Pearl couldn’t hide the look of distaste that crossed her fine features at that, and Garnet winced in sympathy. While she wasn’t nearly as prone to jealousy as her lover, Rose’s flippant way of treating her side flings like they were a welcome point of discussion wasn’t exactly something she enjoyed, either. Rose smiled gently, squeezing Pearl’s smaller hand in hers. “Oh, my Pearl… You don’t have to make such a face. It was all in good fun! We mostly talked about her work, and the other saloon girls, and her mother’s health… I suppose _that_ wasn’t fun, really. The poor woman is very sick, and Marigold’s so worried about her. Humans are awfully prone to sickness in this era!”

 

“Comes with traveling from other continents, I imagine,” Garnet said thoughtfully, artfully distracting Rose with ease that came from eons of practice. “They’re not adapted for the environment here. Just like the settlers back east.”

 

Pearl nodded slowly, uncertain as to why this _endeared_ Rose Quartz to the species on the whole. Humans were fragile and needed constant care, and Rose loved to give them that—but they still died in a matter of decades, aged past the point of usefulness. She didn’t see the point or appeal in organics.

 

But then, Rose had always been this way, and Pearl knew it was long past the time when she should have learned to accept it. She just didn’t know how to do that.

 

Garnet successfully engaged Rose in light chatter while they walked the rest of the way to the inn, and their leader didn’t seem to notice just how quiet Pearl was for the remainder of their stroll.

 

Amethyst had somehow found Garnet’s flask of whiskey at some point, and while she’d been careful not to get completely sloshed on an empty stomach, they came back to a very flushed, very _naked_ companion, who had built herself a fort out of everything in the room that wasn’t nailed down.

 

“Amethyst!” Pearl scolded, “The curtains aren’t even drawn!”

 

“Because that’d be boring!” Amethyst laughed, and Rose quickly fell into giggles with her, all too amused by their youngest companion’s antics.

 

“Where are your clothes?” Pearl asked, glancing to Garnet, who helpfully pulled the curtains over the window. Luckily enough, Amethyst likely hadn’t been seen, as long as she’d stayed inside… Pearl hoped.

 

“Probably in the bed, ‘less I chucked them outside,” Amethyst shrugged helplessly, stretching her arms and legs well past their proper lengths in an attempt to pop her back. It didn’t work, and she only succeeded in making herself look absolutely ridiculous; Rose had to lean against the door to stay upright as her giggles exploded into full-blown laughter, and Garnet reclaimed her glasses from the bedside table.

 

“They’re not in the bed,” Garnet said, and the noise Pearl made was somewhere between disgust and annoyance. The Fusion smothered a grin with one hand. “Amethyst, you’ll have to shift something new before Pearl faints.”

 

“I’m not going to faint,” Pearl argued uselessly, heat rising in her cheeks. “That only happened once!”

 

Amethyst and Rose howled with laughter, and Pearl sorely wished they wouldn’t. Garnet offered her a sympathetic pat on the back, then a gentle squeeze where her shoulders were tightest. “It’s all right, Pearl,” she said, drawing her in for a soft brush of lips across her cheek. “You’re allowed to have delicate sensibilities.”

 

“I do not!” Pearl protested, but it was hard to argue as Garnet rubbed her Gem warmly into her tense shoulders. Color spread across Pearl’s cheeks and down beneath her collar as her mind leapt to their earlier activities, and she hid her flushed face against her lover’s shoulder.

 

By the time the two quartzes had stopped laughing, Garnet had successfully worked the tension out of Pearl’s shoulder, and her anger was forgotten. The Fusion grinned wolfishly, privately pleased with how easily Pearl melted into her touches. She knew perfectly well that Rose Quartz had the same effect on their lover, but that didn’t make it any less satisfying to have Pearl’s unsteady breath ghosting over her neck, especially when she alone was the cause.

 

The warm magic in Ruby’s Gem probably helped, too, but Garnet didn’t mind taking full credit.

 

“Fine, fine, I’ll get dressed,” Amethyst declared, unprompted, rolling once before pushing herself up on her hands and knees. She phased on an easy uniform similar to the Norfolk jacket she had lost in the night, with dark knickers that ended a little higher than her boots. “Did you two take my hint and get to canoodling last night, or do I have to be less subtle today?”

 

“Amethyst!”

 

“Oh! I want to hear about this,” Rose said excitedly, eyes shining with mischief. “It’s been a while, hasn’t it? You two are so shy about doing anything where either of us can see, it’s really very sweet of you—but you know I don’t mind watching at all!”

 

Pearl whined piteously into Garnet’s shoulder, unaware of the beautiful burst of crimson that colored the Fusion’s cheeks and nose. “Rose, please!” Garnet protested, and the unusual use of the nickname didn’t go unnoticed.

 

Rose Quartz smiled so disarmingly, so _sincerely_ that Garnet almost wished she could grant her silly wish. But having an audience was one thing she and Pearl were absolutely united in avoiding, even if that audience included their paramour. “I’ll drop it,” she promised, catching a quick kiss by way of apology. Garnet managed to smile back.

 

“Someday, maybe,” Garnet conceded, knowing that day would likely never come.

 

“I don’t mind _not_ watching!” Amethyst chimed in, “You lovebirds can all go canoodle without me, I really don’t care.”

 

She did, but it wasn’t a priority, by any means. The others’ relationship was theirs alone; Amethyst could—and happily would—remain an outsider to the romantic angle until the end of her days.

 

“We were going to look for the monster elsewhere,” Pearl managed, peeking back down at Amethyst. Relief shone on her pale face at the purple Gem’s mostly-proper attire, even if her collar was all wrong. Her Gem shone proudly through the top of her coat like some kind of brooch that no child would ever wear—which was precisely why she wore actual clothing in the first place—and Pearl automatically moved to fix the crooked bow she’d made at her throat.

 

“’We’ as in ‘everybody’ or just you two?” Amethyst asked, rolling her eyes as Pearl fussed over her clothing.

 

“We’re trying the Moaning Cavern again,” Pearl explained, and Amethyst’s gaze flickered away from her face, down to the floor.

 

“Oh.”

 

She remembered her last visit all too clearly—especially the embarrassing falling-to-her-death part.

 

“I think it’s better if you stay here with Rose and try to tackle Marigold’s problem together,” Garnet suggested hopefully, glancing to Rose, who looked a shade paler than normal at the mention of the cave. “Mr. Goode isn’t going to let up after last night. It’s very likely that he’ll be at the saloon again before we make it back.”

 

Rose frowned deeply; Amethyst scowled. “Can’t _he_ get run over by a monster or something?” she exclaimed, “He’s gross.”

 

“I don’t disagree,” Pearl sighed, “But we would still have to protect him from monsters, no matter how… gross… he is.”

 

Rose Quartz straightened where she stood, glancing down at Garnet pointedly. “I’ll speak to him later,” she decided, and Garnet wasn’t about to argue her down.

 

“We all know what we’re doing, then,” Pearl chimed in, “Now… let’s see about finding Amethyst’s pants before we part ways.”


	7. 07. Staged

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Garnet and Pearl go looking for the monster, after finding Amethyst's trousers. Gold doubloons are left behind.

The quest didn’t take long; Amethyst’s entire outfit had been found in the hall and helpfully collected by the maid, who was happy to exchange the lost clothing for a crisp dollar from Pearl’s Gem. Rose Quartz probably could have haggled with her, but coins were much more troublesome to keep track of, and the money they _did_ have was only useful for a few years before it started to fade into obscurity. Spanish doubloons graced the bedside stand, nigh forgotten, but no less valuable than gold was on the whole. The maid thanked them profusely, and Garnet redirected Amethyst back into their room to change while Rose pulled Pearl onto the balcony to talk about the best way to get through to Mr. Goode.

 

“I don’t think he’s a reasonable man,” Pearl admitted, leaning against the white-painted railing. The early morning was cool enough, but she could already feel the beginnings of the day’s heat trying to slip over the rooftops. “But I’m aware that I have a bit of a bias against him. He doesn’t take a hint.”

 

“You’re very beautiful, my Pearl,” Rose said, “You know how humans are. Men can’t help themselves around pretty women.”

 

Color rose for the umpteenth time in Pearl’s cheeks, and she shook her head. “I think it’s more than the norm,” she insisted, pursing her lips in a frown. “He seems… expectant, somehow. He doesn’t _expect_ no to be an answer, and I doubt he’ll be willing to take it. I don’t know that words will deter him.”

 

Rose Quartz’s smile was far more alluring than the pinks and oranges at the edge of the horizon, and she made no secret of leaning in to kiss Pearl where anyone on the street could see. “Do you think I can’t persuade him?” she asked teasingly, cupping Pearl’s cheek in her palm. Pearl sighed blissfully at the too-short kiss, nuzzling into her lover’s hand.

 

“Of course not. You can do anything.”

 

Pearl lowered her head in a sign of deference, and while Rose accepted it, it was only long enough to sweep the smaller Gem into a warm, familiar embrace. Pearl abruptly found herself face-first in Rose’s pillowy bosom, and she froze up for precious seconds before relaxing in Rose Quartz’s arms, hugging her gingerly. Rose’s chuckle reverberated through her entire frame, and Pearl felt the ghosting touch of her leader’s lips over the crest of her Gem.

 

“And so can you,” Rose murmured, withdrawing all too soon. “I believe in you and Garnet. I’m certain you’ll be able to defeat the Bloodstone. You might not even need Sardonyx!” she smiled warmly, thick fingers threading through Pearl’s short hair. “But do be careful. After what happened last time…”

 

“We’ll be careful,” Pearl assured her, turning to press a soft kiss to the inside of her wrist. “I won’t let anything happen to Garnet.”

 

“And I won’t let anything happen to you,” Garnet said, drawing her partners’ attention from the doorway. The Fusion was smiling, though faintly, and all three eyes were trained on the beautiful Gems before her. “There’s almost no potential for failure today, assuming the beast is _there_. Which I think it will be, if we get goin’ sooner than later.”

 

“I won’t keep you,” Rose Quartz insisted, but as she leaned down to kiss Garnet softly, longingly, Pearl suspected that the two of them would have to work at getting away before the sun got any higher in the sky.

 

She wasn’t wrong, but somehow, Garnet managed to resist the easy temptation that was Rose Quartz, and with a few more kisses for luck, they slipped back inside and got ready for the day. Garnet considered bringing her glasses, but ultimately decided against it, and Pearl was more than happy to simply shift into a differently colored dress to avoid suspicion. They wouldn’t be seen in town for long, and even without a functional warp nearby, it was an easy run, especially without cloth and leather to hinder their range of movement.

 

Long before noon, despite having taken a handful of breaks along the way, Pearl and Garnet reached the right hillside, crossing several wooden fences and blithely ignoring even more signs that indicated that visitors weren’t welcome. It was their land as much as any human’s—and sure enough, Garnet picked up on the beast’s trail not far from the mouth of the cave.

 

The Moaning Cavern got its name—and subsequent deserved reputation—from a low groan that seemed to rise from the very earth, often without wind to prompt it. The sound spooked travelers and natives alike, and had for centuries at the very least; the Crystal Gems had been to the site some six hundred years ago, only to be warned against returning by local tribesmen. It was a place where Mother Earth swallowed up her people, where spirits gathered from long ago.

 

Of course, the Gems were unfazed by haunted tales and mankind’s penchant for falling down holes. That Amethyst was no better really didn’t matter much, as evidenced by her spectacular fall centuries prior.

 

Finding the entryway to the cavern was tricky, largely because there were misleading signs _everywhere_ in the area. Pearl wondered how many people actually heeded them; they came in many languages, and she might have found it fascinating if any actually acted as decent landmarks.

 

Fortunately, between toppled wooden signs, broken posts, and deep scratches in the rich red earth, the entrance wasn’t all that difficult to find. It was a hole in the earth itself, something easily obscured by undergrowth when there was actually undergrowth _to_ obscure it. Now, though, the area looked like a twister had touched down directly on top of the opening, decimating the bushes and trees that surrounded it, and Pearl looked to Garnet uncertainly, reaching for her offered elbow without a thought. “Is it here?”

 

“I’d hope so,” Garnet said, peering around cautiously. “That, or we’ve got another monster in the area.” She paused, frowning. “Which is a… likely possibility.”

 

“A nest?” Pearl asked worriedly, and Garnet’s solemn nod was exactly the sort of answer she didn’t want to receive. Pearl’s lips pursed in a frown, and she peered at the cave’s opening before shining light into it from her Gem. “I have rope, if we can secure it to something,” she said at length, “Not long enough for the chasm, but it would get us in part way. Sardonyx won’t fit.”

 

“Good thing she can’t hear you saying that,” Garnet laughed, scouring around for something that might support their respective weights. There was a large enough stone nearby, several feet in diameter, and she detangled her arm from Pearl’s grip to retrieve it, summoning her gauntlets. “We should climb in, find a ledge, and Fuse as soon as we can; I’ve a feeling the Bloodstone has adapted to the cave.”

 

Pearl froze, though briefly, and her brows creased. “You don’t think it lives comfortably in a place like that, do you?”

 

“If it’s blind like the others, it won’t have our disadvantage,” Garnet said easily, leaning against the jagged stone and waiting patiently as Pearl summoned a length of rope from her Gem. Several loops and knots later, there was a good fifty feet remaining, and Garnet started to feed it into the cave.

 

Pearl wrinkled her nose in distaste all the same; human remains, no matter how old, were hardly her idea of a comfortable living situation. She wondered briefly at _how_ mad the beasts had become, how _lost_ they must have been, but knew that line of thinking was useless. She shook her head, tried to banish these thoughts with action, and drew in a deep breath.

 

“No sense waiting,” Pearl said, summoning her spear with some measure of discomfort.

 

“You can shift out of that skirt,” Garnet reminded her, and Pearl looked down at her too-long clothing. The Fusion smiled, dissipating her gauntlets without a second glance at her hands. “No sense trying to climb in it, right?”

 

“I think you just want to see my legs,” Pearl teased, and Garnet’s lopsided grin wasn’t contrite by any means.

 

“Guilty.”

 

“You’re transparent is what you are,” Pearl giggled, phasing her outfit away in favor of something much more sensible; long, form-fitted leggings and a low cut tunic, reminiscent of the top she’d worn during the war. With her spear in hand, she looked more than ready to fight again.

 

Garnet watched without concealing her interest, enjoyed the brief glimpse at Pearl’s bare form as the light around her resituated itself into the attire she’d most recently reformed in, and when Pearl was done, she grinned playfully, leaning in to nip at her bare shoulder. “One more mark for luck,” she teased, earning a painless smack from Pearl, whose face was stained a stunning blue.

 

“Unbelievable…”

 

The Fusion knew perfectly well that her lover was kidding, but she apologized by kissing the rapidly darkening spot, then trailing more kisses still up to her ear. Pearl might have fought her off, if she’d had the mind to, and Garnet would have backed away immediately. But Pearl exhaled breathily, turned to capture Garnet’s lips in a searing kiss, her spear forgotten, and her lover didn’t doubt for a second that she was forgiven—and, more importantly, welcome to continue.

 

Even if their clothing was illusory, Garnet found a special degree of appreciation for Pearl’s own style; the tight fit of her old uniform was perfect, and the thin barrier between hands and skin could have been nothing at all for the way Pearl arched into her touch. Garnet kissed her soundly, ran long fingers down along her sides, pressing her thumbs into the subtle dip of her partner’s hips, and Pearl made the most delicious mewling noise against her mouth.

 

It would have been all too easy to get caught up in each other again, to fall into much more pleasurable activities than the mission at hand, and Garnet knew that with enough teasing, Pearl would forget their objective altogether. Still, the beast needed to be dealt with, and there would be time afterwards for… matters. She broke the kiss with a ragged gasp, and Pearl immediately attacked her neck, peppering kisses along her jaw and throat with unrelenting passion. Garnet whined; futures flickered before her third eye where last night’s activities were revisited, and none of these were unappealing. She gasped at the feeling of teeth and tongue against her throat as Pearl’s long fingers did away with the buttons on her shirt, and Garnet could feel her Gems buzzing with excitement and pleasure as the world tried to fall away.

 

“The mission,” she gasped out, none-too-gently pushing Pearl away by the shoulders. Pearl’s Gem was alight, and her blue eyes were clouded with want, and Garnet wished so badly for more time for this that it hurt. “ _After_. I promise, after.”

 

“R-right,” Pearl managed, cheeks flushed, fingers fisted in the neck of Garnet’s half-buttoned vest. “I… sorry. I’m sorry.”

 

Garnet smiled reassuringly, detangling Pearl’s hands from her shirtfront to kiss her knuckles softly. “It’s fine,” she promised, “I just want to make sure we don’t get caught. And I want to be able to focus on you completely.”

 

Heat suffused Pearl’s cheeks at that, but she nodded, leaning up for one last kiss as her Gem went dim. She retrieved her fallen spear from the ground only afterward. “Alright.”

 

The Fusion ran her fingers through Pearl’s hair, stroked down the back of her neck longingly, and sighed wistfully. “We’ll see how far we can get by rope, then find a ledge. Hopefully, there’ll be enough room to Fuse.”

 

Pearl exhaled in a not-quite laugh, smiling up at her lover crookedly. “And if there isn’t?”

 

Garnet grinned back, ruffling Pearl’s hair fondly and earning an indignant squawk of protest. “We’ll have to improvise with some acrobatics, then.”

 

“ _Lovely_.”

 

“You know I won’t drop you,” Garnet said, releasing her partner to begin her descent into the cool opening, dark and altogether uninviting. Still, coarse rope wasn’t a welcome feeling against her Gems, and she wound the twine around her legs, lowering herself minutely into the mouth of the cave. Pearl followed, moving slowly so as not to make Garnet hurry as they crept through the vertical shaft. Her Gem flickered again to life, casting blue light against the marble walls of the cave, and Pearl shortened her spear to something more manageable, just in case. Climbing with one hand full was difficult at best, but if she could do it with a sword, she could do it with her spear.

 

And Garnet was right; even if she fell, Pearl knew perfectly well that her partner would be there to catch her.

 

They lapsed into companionable silence, and the going was slow, but soon enough Garnet signaled with a glowing maroon Gem that the main chamber had opened up below her; Pearl nodded, squinting against the reflection of her Gem’s light as her eyes tried to adjust to the perfect darkness of the cavern.

 

Deep in the recesses of the cave system below, Pearl could hear a faint scratching noise, claws against dirt and mud and _bone_ , and she shuddered at the thought. Something was alive down there, and with their Gems glowing, it would see them before they saw it.

 

Garnet waited until Pearl had cleared the tight squeeze of an entryway, watched as her Gem’s light shone bright and clear around the cavern proper. The light faded after a good thirty feet, but it was enough to get their bearings.

 

“There,” Garnet murmured, gesturing with one leg to a ledge—narrow and undoubtedly slippery—a few feet off. “We’ll have to swing for it, but that’s our best bet for purchase.”

 

Pearl’s eyes swept along her form, toward the ledge in question, and frowned deeply. “You’re going to have to throw me,” Pearl said, “There’s no way we can dance properly on something as small as that.”

 

The Fusion laughed softly, and she began to swing, eking closer to their target. “Get ready quickly,” she said softly, and she didn’t need to look up to see Pearl nod. In the inky darkness, Garnet could rely more on her other senses, rather than sight alone, and it took only a few more swings before she could reach out and grip a decently stable marble outcropping.

 

That left the problem of actually getting onto the ledge, but Pearl shimmied down to take her place while Garnet swung herself up to sit, rope still tangled around one ankle.

 

“What now?” Pearl asked uncertainly, aiming her Gem’s light just above Garnet’s face. The gesture was greatly appreciated. “We’ve never Fused without dancing first, and—“

 

“I’m going to swing you,” Garnet said gently, keeping her voice low. Pearl stared at her, wide-eyed, and the Fusion tugged her forward by a handful of rope. “Just… get ready, we’ll get our rhythm going, and fall into me on the fifth return. Do you trust me?”

 

Pearl smiled despite her unease, leaning in to try to kiss her partner and coming up just short enough that her lips barely ghosted over the rounded tip of Garnet’s nose. “With everything I am,” she said in kind, and Garnet smiled, nuzzling her nose affectionately in return. Pearl clutched her spear to her chest, wound her legs around the rope to hide her nerves, and mustered up a smile to signal she was ready.

 

“Then here we go!”

 

It took three swings, awkward and faltering, before Pearl was convinced that she wouldn’t be flung off into the darkness. Each time she returned like a pendulum to Garnet’s waiting hands, and Garnet spun her easily before pushing her back out over the chasm. Pearl tried not to look down, tried not to consider the possibility that the too-old rope might snap under the strain of her swinging. Still, by the fourth swing out, she was ready, and as she closed in on the final lap by flinging herself off of the rope into Garnet’s waiting arms.

 

Their forms blended instantly; blinding white light flooded Pearl’s vision, and the last thing she saw was Garnet’s brilliant smile before her consciousness faded away.

 

Sardonyx’s laughter rang like so many bells, bouncing merrily off of the cavern as she herself twirled on the rope, using it like a dancer’s pole on her way down. Her coiffed blonde hair was adorned with the most ridiculous set of pins and clips, and her black and white dress was much like the sort of thing Rose’s showgirls wore; with the skirts hiked up high and crisscrossing nylons that finished in neat little boots adorned with diamonds. The bustle was completely for show; the train absolutely useless, especially without a crowd to enjoy it.

 

Pearl’s spear easily shifted to become the pole of Sardonyx’s hammer, and by the time she had run out of rope, she simply glided the rest of the way down to the floor. The four-armed giant woman touched down just to the left of the pile of human and animal remains at the base of the cavern and tutted, a whistling noise between her gapped front teeth. “Now this won’t do at all! No audience? No lights?” she huffed, spreading both sets of hands to produce a flurry of glowing fireflies to light up the surrounding area; these scattered effortlessly, settling along the cavern walls, and while it wasn’t nearly ideal, it was enough to work with.

 

“Much better!” Sardonyx cooed triumphantly. “On with the show!”


	8. 08. Checkmate

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Rose Quartz throws her weight around. Mr. Goode doesn't stand a chance.

The Columbia Bank had fairly recently been granted its own building, directly adjacent to the fire department. In 1854 a massive brush fire had destroyed much of the town proper, and while most buildings had been replaced with brick, the same fate had doubled back on the town in 1857. Now, two years later, as gold was beginning to run dry and miners trickled out of the area, the red brick buildings stood almost _sadly_ against the sun-dried landscape.

 

Mr. Goode, as it turned out, wisely or unwisely, kept his office (and his safe) where it had been before the more recent fire; in a private, two-room building that shared a wall with the sheriff’s office. Here, he reasoned, he was safe from the real threat; bandits after his personal affects.

 

He wasn’t entirely wrong, at least where bandits were concerned.

 

But Rose Quartz would have found him regardless.

 

With Amethyst in tow, the former rebel leader made quite the sight in the streets. Miners still weren’t used to seeing women, especially _salacious_ ones with bare shoulders and feet, but rumors about her profession were hushed at best. She came with good company, even if her hair was unnatural and she sometimes seemed to glide without touching the cobblestone. Miss Jules was a girl of good rapport, even if her companions were somewhat odd, and no one knew _where_ they all came from.

 

Rose Quartz looked like something out of a tall tale, with her perfectly curled, vividly pink hair, as she ducked—just barely—under the overhang to knock on Mr. Goode’s office door. Amethyst stood at complete ease behind her, despite the fact that neither of them had discussed any plan to speak of before coming here.

 

Improvisation was something they had in common, something Rose Quartz encouraged, and something—fortunately—that they both excelled at. But as Rose waited, shoulders squared and arms loose at her sides, Amethyst couldn’t help wondering what kind of harmless ‘persuading’ they could possibly do to a man who didn’t listen.

 

“Rose, you sure this is a good idea…?” Amethyst asked worriedly, pushing her hair away from her eye and peeking up at her leader, the perfect outward picture of serenity. “I mean, midday and everythin’?”

 

“Of course!” Rose said cheerily, but Amethyst could see the mischief in her smile and knew better than to take it at face value. “We’ll have this all sorted out before Pearl or Garnet—oh! Hello!” The quartz turned her attention to Mr. Goode, who had opened the door enough to size up his visitors, but not enough to seem welcoming. “Good morning, Mr. Banker!”

 

“Mr. Goode when I’m not working,” he corrected almost thickly, and Amethyst bristled at the way he didn’t quite look high enough when he addressed Rose. True, she had to bend to see his face, at a good foot and a half taller than the doorframe, but that was no reason to be ogling her breasts like some pervert.

 

“Mr. Goode, then! We’ve met briefly, at the saloon,” Rose said, all too easily pushing the door open, much to Goode’s dismay; he hadn’t been intending to let them inside.

 

As if _that_ mattered, Amethyst thought with a smug smile that she had to hide behind a fist. She slipped inside before Rose did, sticking out her hand to draw the man’s attention. “I’m Amethyst!”

 

“Oh! Uh…” Goode began to sweat, visibly affronted by how quickly the strange purple child moved, and he was even more alarmed by how tightly she gripped and shook his offered hand. “A pleasure, certainly.”

 

If Amethyst had made him uncomfortable—and she absolutely had—Rose Quartz’s entrance was almost catastrophic. He didn’t know how, or why, but something about the gigantic woman was deeply unsettling, especially as she slipped inside his too-small office.

 

A single step was all it took; the mystery woman commanded an area much larger than she took up, and that was a feat on its own. Her hair nearly touched the rafters, and though she smiled, Goode simply couldn’t return the gesture. The room was entirely hers the moment she stepped inside. No, there was something… something _inhuman_ about the way her dark eyes bore down at him, and Goode wondered if the tales of witches and beasts that stole breath had any truth to them.

 

“And my name is Rose. Rose Quartz.”

 

She smiled so sweetly that his fear had to be misplaced; save for her size, she was a lovely woman, however strange. And wealthy, too, if she could afford to wear such a large brooch at her naval. The purple one’s clothing was impeccably tailored to boot, he realized, and Goode tried to save face by taking Rose’s hand as well, only to have his arm shaken so soundly that he swore his elbow rattled.

 

These women were not normal.

 

Goode was utterly terrified.

 

But a man of business wasn’t to be trifled with, either; Goode harrumphed, retrieved his aching hand and reached into one pocket in search of his genuine Franciszek Czapek pocket watch. “I hate to turn you away, Miss Quartz,” he said stiffly, “But I’m afraid I’ve business across town within the hour, and I’d best get going.”

 

“Oh! Just Rose is fine,” she insisted, and he wondered briefly whether it was a pseudonym, or perhaps a call girl’s stage name. No decent unmarried woman would be so familiar, so scantily dressed, with a man she hardly knew. “And it won’t take long. I just wanted to get something cleared with you, Mr. Goode. Then we’ll happily leave, right, Amethyst?”

 

“Yeah!”

 

Bushy eyebrows knit together worriedly, and Goode realized to his abject horror that there was no way to simply _pass_ this Rose Quartz to escape. The greatest flaw to his office’s layout was that there was but one entrance, and that was taken up by at least eight feet by six feet of giant woman in a massive white gown. He cleared his throat uncomfortably, feeling incredibly cornered and trying not to show it.

 

“Well. I suppose… a moment won’t hurt,” he said gruffly, and his mustache twitched almost indignantly _for_ him. “But no more. I’ve a schedule to keep!”

 

“Of course,” Rose said too-sweetly, clasping her hands, and together, her fists were the size of a gourd late into harvesting time. Goode’s eyes bugged just a bit at the realization that she could very likely crush something so fragile as a pumpkin in those hands—or worse, a mere _man_ like him.

 

Rose Quartz gestured for him to take a seat in his own chair, and without thinking, he did precisely that. “I promise it won’t take long,” she assured him, “I just needed to tell you…” here, her voice dropped—and with it, the temperature, by several degrees!—even though her sweet face still smiled serenely. “To leave Marigold and her mother alone if you want to remain in this town.”

 

“Ah—uh—pardon me, ma’am!” Goode stuttered without dignity, “I don’t think that’s at all appropriate, _Miss Quartz_.”

 

Rose smiled, pushing one of her perfect pink curls over the sweep of her shoulder nonchalantly. “I don’t think that matters,” she said icily, “You leave that family alone, Mr. Goode. And my Pearl, too. I won’t tolerate you continuing to harass any of them.”

 

“What—what does—“

 

Amethyst grinned crookedly, folding her hands behind her head. This was a perfectly welcome alternative pastime to fighting monsters in a cave. Rose Quartz left no room for argument when she spoke, even when her tone was saccharine.

 

“I think it’s quite clear,” Rose said, “You like to throw your weight around, don’t you? Marigold told me. How about trying it with someone my size?” It wasn’t an invitation Goode would risk taking at face value, and Rose went on, encouraged by his silence. “You’ve been very _careful_ about harassing _ma fleur_ and her mother, and up until last night, I believed you were harmless. Just a silly man with no control over his urges. But you went after my Pearl, too, and that’s something I can’t allow.” Rose leaned in so close that he had to lean back to get away, and suddenly, all warmth; all sweetness was just _gone_ from her round face. “ _Leave them be_. If you want to live a long, comfortable life, in this town or anywhere else on this planet.”

 

“Who do you think you are?” Goode managed, finally finding his voice, but it didn’t carry quite like he’d hoped.

 

“Just Rose,” she replied simply, “You don’t need to know who I am to value your livelihood, do you?”

 

“I’ll have you arrested!”

 

At this, Amethyst howled with laughter, and terrified hazel eyes turned toward her. “You and what army?” she asked, in a voice far too self-assured to belong to a child. “Man, you’re stupid. You really think you’re gonna get us arrested? In that dinky jail? _Humans_ can bust out of that!”

 

“Amethyst, you’ll frighten him,” Rose chided, but there was no bite in it.

 

Amethyst wasn’t the one that truly frightened him, but her word choice—the casual way she mentioned _humans_ as if the room and town were peopled with anything else—set a chill down Goode’s spine.

 

“What—what are you?” Goode managed, dreading the answer.

 

Rose drew herself up to her full height, and her hair nearly brushed the rafters. “We are the Crystal Gems,” she said, “And it’s just as well if you haven’t heard of us, Mr. Goode. Just know that we won’t hesitate to take measures against you.”

 

“If that’s supposed to be a threat—“

 

“Oh! It is,” Rose supplied almost _merrily_ , “But it’s also a statement! Your language is so funny that way.”

 

Goode bristled angrily. He opened his mouth to reply, and found himself very abruptly faced with his own countenance—but a vivid purple. “Splutter splutter! I’m not gettin’ my way!” Amethyst mocked, twitching the mustache side to side before her Gem glowed and her face returned to normal. Somehow, she’d wound up on his desk, and she grinned far more wickedly than Rose, to slightly less effect. “You’ve lost this one, Goode. Take it like a man! It’d be awful embarrassing if this got out, wouldn’t it?”

 

“Wh—what—“

 

“Oh, it would,” Rose agreed, “Particularly if you continued pursuing my Marigold for her mother’s land—which is what you’re after, isn’t it? It’s a shame neither of them has the deed.”

 

“Wh-what?” Goode stuttered again, recovering somewhat from his earlier shock to listen properly, “As recently as last night it was still in her mother’s possession—“

 

“And this morning, it’s mine!” Rose said, reaching down into her dress to produce the very document the banker so badly wanted. She smiled disarmingly, but her dark eyes shone with wickedness. “You’ll find the transfer is binding—and of course, Marigold will agree. They’re… what is it now? Tenants, living on _my_ land.” Rose Quartz leaned down, allowed the man a look at the deed, and then encapsulated it in a bright pink bubble.

 

And to his horror, with a tap, it blinked out of existence.

 

“You’ll find it isn’t for sale,” she said smugly, “And moreover, if it were, it’s well out of your price range.”

 

Goode looked like a fish deprived of water, blotchy-faced and with his mouth hanging open. Amethyst tried not to laugh and wished, not for the first time, that there were a way to record moments like this. Pearl’s image projection ability came close, but it wasn’t as satisfying as actually hearing the undignified squawking noises that tumbled from the crooked banker’s lips.

 

“Oh! Look at the time,” Rose Quartz said, eyeing a standing clock in the man’s office. “It’s past noon! You’ve an appointment to keep, and we have places to be. Come along, Amethyst.” She smiled, and Amethyst hopped down from the man’s desk, scattering paperwork without a care in the world. To Goode’s horror, when Rose Quartz opened the door, the brass door handle crumpled in her big palm, and as Amethyst slipped out, she turned to apologize with sincerity that he was too afraid to question. “Sorry for the door! Goodbye, Mr. Goode!”

 

And with that, the Crystal Gems were gone into the streets, talking amiably as if nothing out of the ordinary had just happened.

 

Mr. Goode did not make it to his appointment.


	9. 09. Last Coach

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Garnet and Pearl leave the cave to have some fun before returning to Columbia. Mr. Goode is not welcoming.

Sardonyx’s battle style was quick, effective, and above all— _elegant_. Which was quite the feat, given that she was performing underground and avoiding a pile of human and animal remains that spanned most of the cavern floor. There were little offshoots that led to a maze of smaller chambers and tunnels down below. It was here that the Bloodstone and its pups lived, and Sardonyx was all too ready to flush them out with bursts of light and sound, laughing all the while. It was a spectacular display with no witnesses, and for that, Sardonyx was sorely disappointed.

 

“I _suppose_ it will still make for a good story later on,” Sardonyx hummed, pursing her lips thoughtfully as she looked down at the orange bubbles in her hands. Tiny, gleaming things, the Bloodstone and its mate probably didn’t need to be separated, but she didn’t want to risk either reforming.

 

Perhaps one day she could tell Amethyst and Rose Quartz all the juicy details.

 

It took some finagling to scale the damp marble walls of the cavern, but she found a ledge of decent strength and size to perch on, relatively close to the entrance. Pearl had been right that she couldn’t quite squeeze through the way her components had come in, and Sardonyx was perfectly content with not trying. She fluffed her skirt with one pair of hands, finally sending off the pair of bubbles back to the Temple with her others, and took a deep breath.

 

Most of her dragonflies had vanished during the fight, but Sardonyx was quick to adjust to the darkness of the cave. Her glasses made that considerably easier. Still, she whistled merrily under her breath as she absently directed her little lights back to the length of rope that dangled limply about halfway down the chamber. Garnet and Pearl would likely need the extra light.

 

Some applause would have been nice, she mused, and she provided her own perfect round of applause with both sets of hands.

 

And then in a flurry of light and smoke, she was gone, and Pearl found herself sprawled out on top of Garnet, arms locked around the Fusion’s shoulders, legs draped over her thighs. Garnet blinked down at her almost comically as her eyes adjusted to the darkness, and she grinned, sliding her hands up Pearl’s back to make absolutely certain her lover was secure in her lap.

 

“Well, that was an adventure,” Garnet teased, leaning down to press an affectionate kiss to Pearl’s cheek. Pearl giggled at the feeling of Garnet’s hair tickling her nose and bobbed her head in a quick nod, pressing her face into the familiar sweep of her lover’s throat—barred, now, and Pearl didn’t think for a second that Garnet had reformed without her shirt by accident. Her vest was still there; still acted as a barrier Pearl wanted to quickly rid her of, but for the moment the smaller Gem wanted to ride out the remainder of her Fusion high right where she was, as close as she could get. She squirmed closer to Garnet, certain that she was smiling like a complete idiot against her neck, and doubly certain that Garnet would be wearing the same expression if she drew far enough back to look.

 

“I love you,” Pearl uttered in a sigh, earning a delectable shiver at the tickle of her breath against Garnet’s neck. “I can’t believe it still feels like that when we Fuse.”

 

Garnet chuckled, rich and warm and soothing, and she canted her head to grant Pearl better access, knowing full well that she would take advantage of her position. Sure enough, it was an instant before Pearl was peppering kisses along her neck, small and deceptively hesitant, as if they hadn’t done this a thousand times before.

 

And they would do this a thousand times again, if the stars aligned accordingly. Garnet shuddered at the idea, at the rich images that flashed before her third eye as Pearl made sure to return the favor of littering her neck with kiss marks from the night before. Garnet groaned, sliding her arms tightly around Pearl’s trim waist, settling her hands below her hips.

 

“Shouldn’t do this here…” Garnet hissed as Pearl nipped just the right part of her throat, and Pearl deliberately rocked against her hips where she sat, eliciting a groan.

 

“You said ‘after’,” she murmured thickly, gripping Garnet’s bare shoulders tightly. “It’s after.”

 

The Fusion laughed helplessly in the face of Pearl’s infallible logic. In return, Pearl applied suction to a pulse point with such force that Garnet swore she saw stars. Even in the semi-darkness, the deep blue mark was visible, and Pearl soothed it with her lips and tongue.

 

“We’re finally alone, where no one’s going to walk in on us, and you don’t want to?” Pearl asked critically, drawing away to look up at Garnet, blue eyes dark with lust. “I’ll stop if you don’t want to.”

 

“I _want_ to,” Garnet said, carefully detangling Pearl’s hands from her shoulders. She kissed her fingers and wrists, and it was Pearl’s turn to shiver with anticipation. “I really, truly do. But not here.”

 

Pearl pouted—there was no other word for it—and Garnet kissed her frown away. “It just seems inappropriate. Over a mass grave.”

 

Ah. There was that.

 

With a sigh, Pearl climbed onto the space beside her lover, twining their fingers and settling against her, cheek pressed to her shoulder. “Fine,” Pearl agreed, “As if we haven’t done worse—“

 

Garnet coughed delicately; very acutely aware of the illicit things they’d done on and off the battlefield. But if she thought too long on that, on the _better_ memories associated with their time together several thousand years ago, they would never get out of this cave.

 

“Like I said… inappropriate,” Garnet said gently, running her thumb over the back of Pearl’s hand. “But I can safely say we won’t get caught above ground, if you’re willing to walk a ways first.”

 

“I’m willing,” Pearl said, “But I don’t see why we’d need to go farther if we’re not going to get caught here.”

 

At this, Garnet laughed, and she pressed an apologetic kiss to Pearl’s temple. “Because we’re both about to be very, very muddy, getting back out of that shaft. And you’re not going to like it any more than I will. But there’s a creek nearby, and you and I could…”

 

The rest of her offer was a low whisper against Pearl’s ear, a promise of things that would make Pearl’s toes curl and likely leave her struggling to walk for some time later—but Pearl had never minded that particular after-effect of lying with Garnet, and truth be told, there was nothing she would rather do with the remainder of their day.

 

* * *

 

The creek wasn’t very deep, but the water was clear and, despite being a former hotspot for panners, there weren’t any claims for miles around. Dry Creek ran through Amador County and was anything but, with water that came from the snowy mountains… on years that weren’t plagued with drought. This summer, however, the water line had gone down considerably, and Garnet had to sit to submerge herself properly in the cool current. Bathing together quickly turned heated as clothing was phased away and propriety ignored; the Crystal Gems had no need for either of these things.

 

Pearl curled up in Garnet’s lap long after they had finished, small and cool and perfectly content to trace familiar patterns along Garnet’s darker skin. The sunlight caught in the stream cast a brilliant shimmer on her skin, and Pearl could have sworn that her lover shone just so in the sunlight.

 

The alabaster Gem let slip a contented sigh, all too happy to indulge a little longer in the afterglow of their lovemaking. With the Bloodstone taken care of, they would have to soon return to town to make their reports, then travel northward toward the nearest warp pad. This, at least, was a reprieve they’d both earned.

 

And it helped that Pearl wasn’t trapped in a corset for the first significant time in weeks. She breathed deeply, enjoying Garnet’s scent, and nuzzled closer still.

 

“This was a good idea,” Pearl murmured against Garnet’s skin, and the Fusion chuckled, settling a hand on her hip and very gently rubbing her Gem into her skin. Pearl let out a quiet sound of appreciation, hugging her lover more tightly until water could scarcely come between them.

 

“I like to think _all_ of my ideas are good ones,” Garnet said smoothly, and Pearl giggled.

 

“Touché.”

 

Pearl sighed blissfully as Garnet continued to work tension out of her hip and thigh, eyes gently closed and cheeks flushed the color of the sky. She looked up blearily, mustering a smile, and angled her face in for a quick kiss. Garnet met her in the middle, languid and gentle after their earlier bursting passion. Pearl’s hands left the water to cup Garnet’s cheeks, feeling the sun’s heat on her skin, and nothing could have felt better.

 

It wasn’t long before Garnet pulled back, and Pearl didn't need her lover’s ability to see the future to know what she would suggest.

 

“We’ve gotta get back to Columbia.”

 

The knight whined softly, knowing there was no argument she could mount to the contrary, but none too pleased about it. Moments like this were few and far between, but Pearl knew that made them all the sweeter—and Garnet kissed her gently by way of apology.

 

“I’ll get dried off,” Pearl sighed, stealing another kiss before she tried to stand—only her balance failed her, and with an undignified wave of her arms, Pearl went tumbling back down into the water, and Garnet scarcely managed to catch her. An embarrassed blush flooded Pearl’s cheeks, and their eyes met for long moments before both Gems dissolved into helpless giggles.

 

“You can’t stand up,” Garnet concluded, grinning almost wickedly, and Pearl splashed water at her with one hand. “I’m _that_ good.”

 

“You’re incorrigible!” Pearl laughed, clamoring back into her lap without much dignity. “But you’re not wrong. I think we’ll have to stay here a little longer, until my legs decide to cooperate again.”

 

Garnet hummed, leaning back fairly comfortably against the rocks. “So sad. Terrible, really. I can’t imagine how cross Amethyst and Rose will be at our late return.”

 

Worry briefly flickered across Pearl’s fine features, and Garnet kissed her temple reassuringly. The smaller Gem exhaled a faint sigh, sinking into her arms comfortably, and though sleeping was something Pearl rarely indulged in, she quickly found herself dozing off in Garnet’s embrace. Garnet made no protest, checked potential futures for interruptions, and sat with her until the sun started to dip low over the far off mountains.

 

* * *

 

Amethyst and Rose Quartz were more than ready for them to return, having caused quite the stir within the town once Mr. Goode had recovered his wits enough to try to retaliate. Unfortunately enough for him, Rose hadn’t been bluffing; the sum of gold that she had paid was well more than what Marigold’s family’s property was worth, and the gold checked out. Moreover, it was _refined_ in such a way that there was some speculation that it had already been minted into something at some point, despite that it came in the form of several large, rough nuggets.

 

That Rose Quartz had crushed Spanish doubloons to _make_ these nuggets was a secret known only to the rebel leader and Amethyst.

 

But Mr. Goode’s fit was not to be trifled with; he went straight to the sheriff, rounded up much of the volunteer fire department, and came marching on the Columbia Inn as if he were leading a witch-hunt.

 

“Is this absolutely necessary?” Rose asked in a heavy sigh, frowning at the men assembled on the cobblestone street. She pursed her lips. “Mr. Goode, I’m disappointed!”

 

“What a sore loser,” Amethyst drawled, arms folded behind her head.

 

“You’re a witch,” Goode said, pointing an accusatory finger. “You and that—demon child!”

 

Rose Quartz spread her hands disarmingly in a gesture of appeal. “I’m no such thing,” she said sweetly, “Neither of those things exist! Surely you gentlemen know that?”

 

A murmur rippled through the crowd, which seemed to grow as passersby grew curious. “Explain the stagecoach attacks!” one man exclaimed, and agreement resounded among their ranks. Rose, the perfect picture of innocence, looked genuinely confused by the assertion.

 

“From the other day?” she asked, and Amethyst was hard pressed not to laugh. If there was one thing Rose had perfect mastery over, it was playing dumb.

 

“You arrived right before!” the same man added, frowning deeply toward the man beside him. “Did you see her in town before those started?”

 

Rose Quartz shook her head. “No, we arrived after,” she admitted, “But surely even Mr. Goode knows I couldn’t be in two places at once; I was at the saloon when it happened!”

 

“We’ve been at the saloon every night since we got here,” Amethyst pointed out helpfully. Some of their accusers looked contrite; most could say the same.

 

A particularly visible vein on Mr. Goode’s forehead bulged, and Amethyst swore his mustache bristled as murmurs that _weren’t_ in his favor spread through the crowd. The Crystal Gems almost felt bad for him—almost, but not quite. Rose smiled. “I think you’ll find that Mr. Flannery would agree that his attacker looked nothing like me, gentlemen,” she said, “Mr. Goode is just fishing for a way to claim the land I bought fair and square.”

 

“But—“

 

“But nothin’! You know you’re full of it,” Amethyst exclaimed, looking toward the crowd with a frown, “You’re just mad you got rejected, too. Miss Jules will be totally cross when she hears about this!”

 

It was through a combination of luck and Garnet’s ability to see ahead that Pearl arrived not a moment later. “What do I have to be cross over?” she asked pointedly, arms akimbo. Several men looked abruptly sheepish, averting their gazes. None had expected to be in Miss Jules’ favor, but being put directly in the path of her ire wasn’t at all what they’d expected. Pearl waved a gloved hand, indicating the crowd. “And what is all—all this? Surely not the parade you mentioned, Mr. Goode.”

 

Like a shadow, Garnet came to stand behind her, sizing up the crowd. “It’s not a very good parade, if that’s the case,” she said dryly. She almost wished now that she _had_ brought her glasses along, but they were still resting on the bedside table upstairs.

 

Here, Mr. Goode balked somewhat, going quite pale. He harrumphed, adjusting his vest, searching for a way to save face in front of the girl he yet fancied. “Miss Jules,” he began, “I’m afraid you’ve come upon a… tense situation. You see, I suspect that one of your companions may be guilty of practicing witchcraft, and—“

 

“ _Witchcraft_?” Pearl asked incredulously, hiding a smirk behind her hand. “You gentlemen _honestly_ believe such tall tales? Next you’ll tell me there are dragons and gnomes about!”

 

“Miss Jules!” Mr. Goode’s dismay was clear on his face, as the crowd’s murmurs turned further from his favor. “You weren’t present—“

 

“Now Mr. Goode,” Pearl cut him off sharply, “Nothing you say can convince me that Rose—my oldest and _dearest_ friend, with whom I trust my life—could ever be anything less than the sweetest woman ever to grace this Earth! I won’t stand by and have my dearest friends insulted!” Her voice rose an octave as she spoke and, through many years of practice, tears were brimming in her eyes by the time she finished.

 

Garnet laid a hand on her shoulder, and Pearl quickly went silent, but her short tirade had clearly done the job; some fringe members of the crowd were dispersing already, while others agreed quietly, easily swayed by Pearl’s passionate delivery.

 

“Clearly, Miss Jules, we aren’t as welcome in Columbia as we thought,” Garnet said, casting a glance Rose’s way. Their leader had her hands folded in front of her and was clearly, to the familiar eye, trying not to break character. In turn, Amethyst was very clearly chewing the inside of her cheek trying not to laugh. “I’ll book a ride on the stage for us to leave as soon as possible.”

 

“Yes, I think that would be best,” Pearl agreed, stepping forward to put herself before Goode and the others. “Mr. Goode, I’ll have to cancel our plans to see the parade together. I’m certain you understand.”

 

“But Miss Jules—“ the man spluttered, taken aback by the fire in her pale blue eyes. How this had gone so disastrously wrong, he wasn’t certain, but the entire situation had snowballed well out of control.

 

“ _Good_ _day_ , Mr. Goode.”

 

With that, Pearl whirled on her heel and marched through the inn’s open doors, and Amethyst and Rose Quartz followed her almost dutifully. Deprived of their initial targets, and altogether lost by what they had just witnessed, the crowd began to go their separate ways—leaving a gaping-mouthed Mr. Goode and Garnet.

 

The Fusion smiled, reaching absently for glasses that she wasn’t wearing, and tipped her hat to the banker instead. “I best be booking our ride out of town,” she said, and she winked cheekily at the man—with an eye set squarely in the middle of her forehead!

 

“Wai—wait!” Goode squawked, looking around desperately for backup. “Did you boys see—they all are! They’re not _human_! Witches, the lot of them!”

 

“I think you’ll find your reputation quite damaged by now,” Garnet said smoothly, closing her third eye again with practiced ease so that it all but disappeared completely. “And ruining it further isn’t in your best interest, Mr. Banker. Goodbye, sir.”

 

With that, Garnet strode away almost lazily, and Goode was left gasping awkwardly, trying to piece together the past several minutes to no avail.

 

The Crystal Gems left for the next town the following morning, and Rose lamented—however briefly—that she hadn’t had the chance to say a proper goodbye to Marigold or her mother. Nestled between her and Garnet in the bouncing stagecoach, Pearl gave reassurances that they could go back someday, knowing full well that Rose would have found a new fling long before that distant someday came.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you all enjoyed this! It was a really fun fic to write, and doubly enjoyable because Columbia is a big part of my childhood.


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